Israeli airstrike kills Gaza militants

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it hit a group of Palestinians in Gaza who it says was planning to abduct Israelis.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said late Friday that an “aircraft had fired at a terror squad of the terror group Hamas that was planning to carry out kidnappings.” She said the group was plotting the attacks for the Jewish festival of Passover later this month, in Israel as well as in the poplar Egyptian resort of Sinai.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia said three men were killed. No militant group has claimed the men as members but Gaza officials say they belonged to the Islamic Jihad group.

Gaza militants still hold an Israeli soldier they abducted in 2006.

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There has been a spike in violence along the Gaza-Israel border lately, but both sides say they want to avoid escalation.